The Sprout
Jane and Ali Hogg are among the local artists showing in Artweeks in May
The newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 116 April 2017
The Sprout
Issue 116, April 2017
Contents
3 Letters to the Editor
5 Some TLC for Raleigh Park
9 ABC Gets into Gear
13 Hedgehog Awareness Week
15 Botley/Kennington surgeries
21 Investigating WWII
23 Grow your own Flowers
25 Vale Local Plan (part 2)
27 Oxon Fire & Rescue
29 West Oxford Artweeks
31 Brownies have Fun with Snow
33 Planning Apps
35 Annual Parish meeting
37 Fridge update
41 Randoms
43 Local Organizations
From the Editor
We don’t often get the chance to blow our own trumpet, but TWO letters
applauding the March issue just had to be shared! We are glad the article
describing how to support homeless people was seen to be so useful. No
question but that it’s a growing problem, so it’s good that we now have the
community fridge (p37) as well as the foodbank to offer some food. The
Annual Parish Meeting took place on 16th March, and we can deduce from
the decidedly sparse attendance that NHPC is getting it right. Pleasing to
see a motion adopted that will make it easier to ask questions in future
(p35). Page 9 has an account of the launch of the new Association for
Botley Communities, and there’s an invitation to join the discussion on the
Vale Local Plan, part 2 on page 25. Botley Medical Practice has taken on
Kennington, which will bring economies of scale (p15). What can we look
forward to? Hedgehog Awareness Week in April (p13), Artweek’s in May
(p29) at which more local artists than usual will be showing their art –
hence our cover – and in September a new local history exhibition,
focusing on WW2, send contributions to Martin Harris (p21). It is becoming
clear that the West Way development has stalled – no sign yet of the
changes so amply described in our Feb issue. The meeting to explain why
isn’t till 10th April, so expect to see a full account in May. Plenty going on
then, and it’s all here in the Sprout!
Ag MacKeith
Letters to the Editor
March issue gets a gold star
Thanks ever so much for the hard work you do in producing The Sprout.
I know there are many others involved too, but I wanted to thank you
particularly.
I've just finished reading the latest Sprout and I think it was the best
Sprout I've ever read. And it reminded me that I keep forgetting to thank
the team and you in particular. So thank you for your part in producing it.
I particularly enjoyed the Roman Road through Raleigh Park article, the
Inner-City America to Outer Oxford article and the Flood Alleviation
scheme update! And then there was the homeless article too, which was
also very informative.
I know you need local people to contribute and I will try and think of
something myself at some point.
But it is always good to see the regular sections such as local
organizations list, Local Planning Applications, Randoms, Halls for Hire –
and the adverts of course.
Chris Taylor
Homelessness
I was delighted to see the very useful section regarding resources for
helping the homeless in the latest issue of The Sprout. I've been living in
Botley for just two years, and one of the first things I noticed when walking
around in the centre of Oxford was the remarkably high number of
homeless people in the streets — a shameful phenomenon that I regard
as one symptom of a much deeper failure in our society.
Anyway, it seems to me that the homelessness section you printed
deserves a wider audience in Oxford. It occurred to me that the DailyInfo
website (http://www.dailyinfo.co.uk), which as I'm sure you know has
daily listings for Oxford regarding events, services etc., might be an
excellent platform for this kind of information that could serve both the
homeless themselves and those wishing to point them to the available
resources. I'm therefore writing to suggest that one of us could pitch the
notion of including this information to their editorial staff. I'd welcome your
thoughts regarding my suggestion.
Erik Kowal [Notion duly pitched, Erik, and waiting to hear from them.]
Some TLC for Raleigh Park
You may have noticed a considerable change to the appearance of
Raleigh Park over the winter and a greater presence of Volunteers and
Council Staff on site. Raleigh Park has been included in The Local
Wildlife Trust’s (BBOWT) Wild Oxford Project which aims to improve
Oxford City Council Nature Reserves for the benefit of people and wildlife.
Winter works have included mowing areas of limestone grassland to
increase the diversity of the meadow area flora, clearing bramble from
pathways and
felling small trees
in the unusual
calcareous fen and
from around the
pond to give
wetland plants a
better chance of
establishing. The
project has also
involved working
with Oxford
Preservation Trust
to enhance an
important “view
cone” of Oxford
from the top of the hill with views over North Hinksey and of The Dreaming
Spires.
Over the coming months BBOWT will be working with OCC and The
Friends of Raleigh Park to install new interpretation boards to help spark
interest in the site and explain to people about the park’s significance in
the local landscape. If any people who have lived locally have any
memories of how the site used to look or any interesting stories about the
sites history we would love to hear from you.
One of the other beneficial aspects of The Wild Oxford Project is that we
carry out full ecological surveys of the sites we work on, which helps us
to determine appropriate management of the sites for the species which
are present and the ones which may utilise the site with appropriate
management. If you would like to get involved in survey work for the site,
please get in touch.
Work on other Wild Oxford sites continues and we have made significant
improvements to Chilswell Valley in South Hinksey by installing a new
boardwalk through the
fen, keeping the rare
limestone grassland
clear of scrub and
restoring the old hazel
coppice and planting
trees in the woodland.
There are also
opportunities to help
here If you are
interested. The Wild
Oxford volunteer team
meets twice a month, please get in touch if you would like to join in – it’s
always good fun and there is always plenty of tea and cake to be had. or
more information about the Wild Oxford Project including work party
dates please visit the Wild Oxford web page here:
www.bbowt.org.uk/wildoxford and if you would like more information
please contact: wildoxford@bbowt.org.uk Andy Gunn
ABC gets into gear
The launch of the new Association for Botley Communities was well
attended. About 40 of Botley’s movers and shakers turned out to endorse
the project and discuss what the new association might do. Officers were
elected – Chris Church in the chair, John Clements minding the money
and Kirsty Gay wielding the laptop, plus an eager band of trustees, and
then we got down to considering possible areas of intervention.
Community Hub The new three-storey community hub building in the
West Way redevelopment will include Seacourt Hall replacement facilities
on the ground floor, the Library and “shared space” on the middle floor
and business space on the top floor. The actual layout and uses of the
“shared space” and business space are as yet undecided. Mace are
looking for more contact with the community to discuss options and take
suggestions. We have been in touch to propose the Association of Botley
Communities (ABC) as a contact point, liaising with community groups
and interested parties to agree on possible uses. A set of questions for
the architect at the forthcoming public meeting was formulated, and we
will be reporting on these next month.
Local economy We need to ensure that Botley remains a good place to
shop and do business, especially during the delayed redevelopment of
West Way. This means promoting the short-term use of empty
commercial premises – keeping the centre lively during the upheaval, but
being careful not to undermine local businesses struggling to survive.
This could include a weekly market of some kind, ‘try it out’ spaces for
new businesses, pop-up shops and restaurants. Could we offer support
to new local start-up businesses? Is there scope to work with people such
as the Old Bakehouse Trust? We must talk to Neighbourhood Plan group
working on the local economy.
Young People There is a real need
for more support. Young people
need to feel that they belong to a
welcoming community – this needs
planning and investment. They
need facilities where they do not feel
restricted – a ‘safe hangout’. The
Branches Project can be part of this.
There is scope for both structured
volunteering (e.g. D of E awards)
and simple day-to-day
activities. We should also
recognise the needs of
vulnerable young people and
ensure that there is good
signposting to existing support
services. Agreed to liaise with
existing groups working on this,
such as the Youth Club, Botley Bridges and Branches and the NHPC
Recreation and Amenities Committee.
The Environment This attracted a wide range of suggestions of which
these are just a few: Tackle the traffic! Plant ivy along the Westminster
Way sound barrier; map green spaces and wildlife corridors; pollinator-
friendly planting on verges; intergenerational gardening projects. And in
the longer term: set up a repair café; persuade businesses on industrial
estates to install solar panels; bring grazing back to Raleigh Park.
Of course, Botley already has plenty of different bodies working away on
all fronts, some formal like the Parish Council, some less high profile, like
the Neighbourhood Plan, but all doing useful stuff. The ABC is not
intended to replace any of these, but to work with them and link them
together so that Botley speaks with a united voice. It is easy to see how
valuable this could be, and the Sprout is happy to help.
What are the next steps?
hold meetings for people interested in each of these themes
identify other organisations to cooperate with
choose some priority points to work on
consider how these points link to the emerging Neighbourhood Plan
Watch this space!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Toads on Roads
It’s that time of year again, and we note that the toad barrier is up along
North Hinksey Lane. The idea is to guide toads and frogs crossing from
the cemetery to breed in the pond into buckets and carry them over. It’s
prompted by the past sad spectacle of hundreds of flattened amphibians,
and their numbers are so reduced these days that they need all the help
they can get. So please drive carefully along North Hinksey Lane – you
wouldn’t want to add to the carnage!
Hedgehog Awareness Week
30th April - 6th May 2017 is Hedgehog Awareness Week, reminding us
that hedgehog numbers are declining nationally. This decline is due to a
variety of factors including use of pesticides, netting and slug pellets,
mowing and strimming equipment; and autumn/winter bonfires.
But the main reason for the decline is habitat fragmentation, which
prevents them from roaming freely. Studies suggest that hedgehogs
require at least 1km
2
of good quality connected land if they are to forage
for food and to find mates. Each new garden wall or fence erected in a
hedgehog habitat could be the obstacle that tips the balance the wrong
way. Fortunately, Botley and North Hinksey still has a small population of
hedgehogs. To help them survive we need to link as many of our gardens
as possible to create a 'Hedgehog
Highway'. How can we do this?
By cutting or drilling a CD-sized hole in
a wooden fence
By digging a small channel underneath
your wall, fence or gate
By removing a brick from the bottom of
a garden wall.
There is a campaign called Hedgehog
Street which produces signs to mark these
'Hedgehog Highways' (see picture). To
launch Hedgehog Awareness Week, the
Sprout has four of these signs to give away,
donated by local British Hedgehog
Preservation Society Member, Dr Roger
Dalrymple. If you are willing to create a CD-
sized fence-gap in your fence and thus
contribute to Botley’s 'Hedgehog Highway',
please email a photo of it to
roger.dalrymple@spc.oxon.org The first four emails received will be
the lucky winners of the Hedgehog Highway signs. Roger will also email
you by return a British Hedgehog Preservation Society sheet on how to
make your garden even more hedgehog-friendly. Or you can look up
more information on hedgehogstreet.org to find out how to help
hedgehogs. Roger Dalrymple
Botley and Kennington medical practices merge
In late October 2016 the Oxford Mail reported that the partners at
Kennington Health Centre had decided ‘reluctantly’ to terminate their
contract with Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG). To
their credit OCCG acted swiftly. It would have been unfortunate if there
had been a repetition of the problems that afflicted the Deer Park surgery
in Witney in 2016. That practice was run by Virgin Care, a private
provider, until the contract ran out in 2016. The contract was put out to
tender but, despite prolonged negotiations, was not awarded. The OCCG
were faced with having to extend the contract until 31st March 2017, by
which time it anticipated that all Deer Park patients would have been
dispersed to other practices in Witney. Currently this is still unresolved
and putting GP services in Witney under very considerable pressure.
Botley Medical Centre, amongst others, expressed interest in taking over
the Kennington contract and, after submitting a bid, were quickly
identified as the ‘preferred provider’. In early January 2017 Botley was
informed that they had been awarded the contract, though the OCCG
wanted to inform Kennington patients before it became public knowledge.
Beginning to work together
Kennington Health Centre has its own well-established PPG and Botley
and Kennington PPGs met together at the Botley surgery on 1st March..
Caroline Jones, Practice Manager, was present, as also was Dr Aintzane
Ballastero, Senior Partner.
The two practices have already become a single practice run under one
management team based at Botley. The practice manager and her
deputy plan to spend between them at least two days a week at
Kennington. The clinical systems of the two practices will be
amalgamated by 24th April. From 1st April doctors, nurses and admin
staff will have access to both sets of clinical records.
The managers and partners at Botley believe that economies of scale
from combining the two practices will benefit patients at both sites.
Combining 9600 patients at Botley and 6500 at Kennington creates a total
of 16,100. Spreading management costs across the two populations
means that savings can be invested in improved provision of services
within the practice.
A full complement of staff
The practice is already advertising for a physiotherapist and a practice-
based pharmacist. The physiotherapist will undertake assessments and
practice-based treatments but also signpost patients as appropriate. The
pharmacist will assess and treat minor illnesses, undertake medication
reviews and do preventive work. Having a pharmacist within the practice
can only help to smooth the process of discharge from hospital. These
two professionals are expected to take significant work off the doctors
and nurses in the practice and provide a more responsive and flexible
service for patients.
The three partners will continue to be based at Botley. Dr Chadwick will
continue to see patients at Botley only, but the other two partners will
between them spend at least two days a week at Kennington. At the
Kennington surgery, two current partners, Drs Hall and Akinola, will
continue working in the practice but as salaried doctors rather than as
partners.
In recent weeks the practice has successfully recruited three new
doctors, who will have started by the end of April. One of these will be
employed mainly at the Botley end, whilst the others will divide their time
between the two sites. These five appointments should mean that the
practice has its full complement of clinical staff.
Appointments
The doctors at Kennington are
preparing a list of vulnerable
patients who will be given a
named doctor in the coming
weeks, and who will usually be
seen at Kennington. One Duty
Doctor, to deal with emergencies,
will cover the two sites and will be
based at either Botley or
Kennington. This is another
example of the benefits of
economies of scale. Thus
patients needing an urgent
appointment will be seen on the
same day. Other patients will
usually be able to be seen within
4–5 days. Non-urgent patients will
be able to make appointments up
to 6 weeks ahead at their
convenience.
It is intended that patients should always be seen at their most local
surgery, though this can be flexible depending on the patient’s wishes.
Some Botley patients, for example those living in Wootton or Boars Hill,
may find it more convenient to be seen at Kennington.
Nursing teams
Currently there are two nursing teams and the practice is investigating
any gaps. It is keen to train up the health care assistant at Kennington
and have an advanced nurse practitioner working there initially for a
month, as this role has been found to be very helpful at Botley. Advanced
nurse practitioners can prescribe for minor illnesses, or develop an area
of expertise, for example contraception; some young women may find it
more acceptable to see a nurse than a doctor. Advanced nurse
practitioners can refer immediately to a doctor as necessary, without the
need for a new appointment. Members of the PPG are keen to see the
role of nurses being as fully valued by patients as the role of doctors. It
is all too easy for us as patients to assume that we must see ‘the doctor’
when seeing a nurse or other health care professional may be just as, or
even more, appropriate.
A full service
A receptionist from Botley will work at Kennington pro tem, to ensure a
consistent approach within the practice. The intention is to offer a full 5-
days-a-week service at Kennington with no lunchtime closing.
Kennington will work to the same systems as Botley, with phones being
answered at lunchtime.
The government is choosing to commission GP services more and more
through local federations. The Oxford City Federation, ‘OXFED’, has
been commissioned to provide 8am–8pm seven-day access to GPs. In
the first instance this will be based at St Bart’s Surgery, Cowley Road.
We hope to able to report further on this development as it takes place.
Currently, as already indicated, each site has its own PPG. A decision
on whether to merge the PPGs is yet to be taken. At this stage each PPG
is having its own meeting and there will be a further joint meeting at the
beginning of May.
Finally I would like to say that both PPGs are convinced that the merger
of the Botley and Kennington practices offers considerable potential
benefits to the patients of both former practices.
Harry Dickinson, Botley Medical Centre Patient Participation Group
Investigating The Second World War
During the last month I’ve spent some of my spare time finding out about
the Second World War ready for the Cumnor & District History Society
exhibition on 16/17 September this year. My starting knowledge has been
various sources over the years – television
documentaries, oral histories, books, films
like The Great Escape and The Dambusters.
When I was at Botley School I think I recall
watching a programme about evacuees.
I wonder if anyone remembers the teachers
Mr Smallridge and Mr Bennett (pictured) who
taught us between the 1960s and the 1980s,
telling the pupils about their time in the War.
Mr Bennett, I think, used to mention being in
Burma. Also, is anyone still in contact with
the Goatley family who used to live in Montagu Road – the daughters
Jane and Clare would be around 50 years old now? I was once told that
one of their cousins (I’m not sure how close) was Fred Goatley (c1875–
1949) whose designs were used for the canoes in the Cockleshell Heroes
event of that 1939–1945 period. Have you heard stories about D-day in
1944, or do you remember the night that Coventry was targeted in 1940?
One Botley lady was in the crowd when the new Coventry Cathedral,
designed by Sir Basil Spence to replace the one that was bombed, was
consecrated in 1962 and our founding Sprout editor Jenny Barker once
told me that her father was involved in this building.
Thank you to those who have already been kind enough to help me with
information. Please do contact me if you have any photos and/or stories
about World War Two whether it is about this area or wherever in the
world your family were then. You can reach me by email on
martin.harris321@gmail.com or by phone on 01865 864776
Martin Harris
[Come on, Sprout readers, there are loads of Botley stories waiting to be
told. Evacuees who came and stayed, the double shifts at Botley School
to contain the extra numbers, the Prisoner of War camp up on Harcourt
Hill, the plane that came down near Southern By Pass, the mighty
machines parked along what is now the A34, the V E Day street parties,
and so much more. Let’s help make Martin’s exhibition a good one! Ed.]
Growing your own flowers
With longer day light hours and a few warmer days,
it’s time to start planning for a summer of cutting your
own flowers. The brighter weather is a good time to
get outside and start planning where you are going
to grow them. All day sun is best. The soil needs to
be dug over and manure or homemade compost
added, and then raked to a fine tilth. I like to get my
allotment ready early, then when the soil is warm
enough, I can get sowing direct into the ground.
Do not sow too early, if the soil feels cold to touch
the seeds will not germinate. Plan what you are going to grow. I have
sweet peas growing in my unheated greenhouse which I sowed in
February. I have ordered all my seeds and saved some from last year’s
flowers. I grow mainly annuals, with lots of dahlias.
The following are a few of
my favourite annuals
which have grown well on
my allotment plot at North
Hinksey. These are,
Cornflowers, Cosmos,
Marigolds, Sweet peas,
Nigella, Clary sage,
Asters, Malope (mallow),
Amaranthus, Sunflowers.
It is also nice to have a
rose bush or two just for
cutting, with Lavender
planted underneath. I
hope this article helps to
get you started, even if it is
just a small patch, do have
a go – it doesn't cost
much, and having your
own cut flowers is
wonderful!
Ann Dawson [And here she is, at work among the sunflowers!]
Vale Local Plan (Part 2)
Preferred Options Consultation
The Vale of White Horse District council’s Local Plan Part Two
Consultation will go live on Thursday 9 March and will run until 5pm
on Thursday 4 May 2017. In line with our Statement of Community
Involvement, we are keen to ensure that members of the public have a
range of opportunities to become aware of the Local Plan and that they
understand the importance of giving us their feedback.
How to take part in the consultation:
A series of public events are being organised to enable members of the
public to meet with Vale Planning Officers to discuss the Local Plan and
to share their views on the proposed changes. We will be running 7 Local
Plan events in March and April across the district. Dates and venues will
be published in our Vale Local Plan bulletin and on our website:
www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/planning-and-
building
How to comment:
There are a range of ways you can become involved. They include:
Providing feedback at our events
Participating in our online survey, available from our website –
www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/services-and-advice/planning-and-
building
Completing a paper-based survey, available at local libraries and
council offices
Submitting your comments by post or email using our comments form.
All our consultation materials will be available from the consultation
start date on 9th March, until 4th May. They will be accessible on our
website and paper copies of the
plan and comment forms will be
available at all Vale libraries and
our council office.
We will be contacting everyone on
our consultation database to invite
them to take part in the
consultation and to inform them of
local events. Please use the
contact details below if you would
like to join our consultation database.
The consultation period is being extended to eight weeks (instead of six)
due to the Easter break and we hope this will encourage greater
participation in the consultation. For more information on the consultation
process please contact Louise Rawlins, Community Engagement Officer
at planning.policy@whitehorsedc.gov.uk or call 01235 422600.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Safe and Well?
Visits from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Did you know that Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service
offer free Safe and Well Visits? Our firefighters will visit you at home to
see what they can do to help you reduce the risk of fire.
What does a visit cover? It combines a Home Safety Check to help
reduce the risk of fire in your home, such as checking and fitting smoke
alarms and helping you make a fire escape plan.During the visit
firefighters are able to provide advice and support to reduce any
immediate risk from falls, fire, flood
or power cuts. They can also
provide advice on health and crime
prevention too.
You can request a visit online at
www.365alive.co.uk/safewell or
call our Community Safety Helpline
on 08000 325 999. If a loved one or
friend would benefit from a visit
please let them know about our
Safe and Well visits. Do you have
a fire safety concern or question?
There’s lots of great tips and advice
to help keep you and your family
safer at home on our website Or
you can call our Community Safety
Helpline at the number above.
Oxfordshire County Council Fire
& Rescue Service
West Oxford Artweeks 2017
The annual Oxfordshire Artweeks festival
approaches, spanning the whole of May, with
particular focus on Oxford City from 20th–29th May.
This year, West Oxford (specifically Osney Island,
Botley Road, Osney Mead & Botley areas) has 28
artists exhibiting in 10 locations, ranging from group
exhibitions to artists showing their work at home or
from their studios. With such a strong presence at various points off the
Botley Road, a trail map is being prepared to encourage people to take
in all the exhibits in the area, a community of local artists working together
to promote each others work. This map will be available at local Artweeks
exhibitions and in next month’s Sprout – keep an eye out for copies at the
library and the community centre too!
As ever, the work on show covers a wide range of media - exhibits in
Botley alone will cover printmaking, collage, jewellery, drawings &
paintings! Sites on Osney Island, at the West Oxford Community Centre
& the Kings Centre on Osney Mead will add photography, ceramics,
mixed media works, paintings, textiles and sculpture. A broad spectrum
of styles and subjects, free for all to enjoy, with many artists having work
for sale. Some venues will even have refreshments available! Further
information can be found in the main Artweeks guide or at
www.artweeks.org
Work by local artists will include outlines of abstract landscapes by Elaine
Kazimierczuk (http://www.elainekazimierczuk.com/gallery) and you
can download them from her website
by adding /#/colouring-in-2 to the
address. Jane and Ali Hogg will
contribute works in collage, wire &
polymer clay jewellery, life drawing,
mixed media, figurative & abstract
painting, and text art, as shown on
this month’s front cover. Seven local
artists will be showing ceramics,
collage, jewellery, painting,
photography, prints, textiles & mixed
media, at West Oxford Community
Centre – one is shown on the right.
Emmett Casley
Brownies Tackle Crime
2nd Botley Brownies are now working on our Crime Prevention badge.
Before the Police Neighbourhood Team came to visit us the girls acted out
short plays showing how they would keep themselves safe as per the
badge’s criteria. That was interesting – mainly “cops and robbers” and well-
intentioned citizens finger-wagging and shouting, “Stop thief!” We thought it
was time to call in the professionals for a bit more realism.
Carl and Jamie came from Abingdon Police Station in uniform in their large
Police van. In our Six groups we learnt about the vehicle’s control panel
which seems to determine the sound and light displays available. The girls
got to make the siren and lights work and they also had a tour of the front
and “customer” end of the vehicle.
The seating area in the rear of
the vehicle looked very bare
and the girls noticed how
seamless everything in there
was. They sat inside it and my
group seemed quite happy and
calm until Jamie closed the first
set of cage-like doors which
turned them wild. They were
like a group of frustrated
caged-animals bouncing
around. We then slammed the
exterior doors and that was much better – we could still see them but no
longer hear them. We relented and let them go back into the hall where Carl
was telling the rest of the group about his Police uniform and its special
features
Then he asked the Brownies if we had any questions. Did we? Of course we
did. No one was shy and lots of questions about crime were asked. Did ‘life’
mean life? Had Carl ever used a Taser on anyone? Was he sure he had
never seen anyone on the Botley Road with a really long gun? But for me
the best set of questions came from one of the youngest Brownies. “I have a
few questions”, said she, “Okay that’s fine” said Carl. “Is graffiti a crime?” she
asked, “Yes, criminal damage”, came the reply. “Don’t people who do it sign
their own name?”, “Yes, they call it tagging”. “So, if they sign their own name
why can’t you just call round to where they live and ask them to stop?” was
her direct question. She was told, “We have to catch them “red-handed” as
it were”, “Oh”, she replied to the clearly unsatisfactory answer to what must
have seemed to a child an easy crime to solve. Lucy Howes
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P17/V0233/DIS
19 Laburnum Road. Loft conversion, with
box dormer to rear roof, new roof windows
to front. Single storey side and front
extension, garden building.
20 February
Target decision
date: 3 April
P17/V0429/HH
35 Crabtree Road. Turn an existing flat-
roofed rear extension into a two storey,
semi-detached house and alter the rear to
provide a window and folding doors.
20 February
TDD: 17 April
P17/V0449/HH
53 Yarnells Hill. Single storey extension.
21 February
TDD: 18 April
P17/V0406/O
Riverside Court 9 West Way. Demolish and
erect a 4-storey building with mixed use:
commercial (ground floor) and residential
with 38 flats (upper floors) + parking.
28 February
TDD: 25 April
P17/V0530/HH
12 Yarnells Road. Two storey side and rear
extensions. Comments by 29 March
2 March
TDD: 27 April
P17/V0580/HH
Greystones Old Botley. Erect new single
storey extension and conservatory at rear.
Comments by 29 March.
6 March
TDD: 1 May
P17/V0600/HH
And
P17/V0601/LDP
14 Sweetmans Road. Two-storey side
extension and internal refurbishment. Plus
loft conversion. Comments by 31 March.
7 March
TDD: 2 May
P17/V0614/HH
24 Hazel Road. Two storey extension at
the rear. Comments by 3 April.
8 March
TDD: 3 May
Flamenco treat
With spring just around the corner, be transported to sunnier climes at a
concert of Spanish flamenco guitar
and dancing given by virtuoso guitar
player Tomas Jimenez
(http://flamencotomas.co.uk). It will
be held at 4pm on Sunday 9th April at
St. Michael's Church, Cumnor OX2
9QN and will be followed by tea and
cakes. Admission is by suggested
donation of £5 and all proceeds will go
to the charity Project Trust which
sends school leavers to teach in deprived areas of Africa and Asia. For
further information, contact carl.olavesen@hotmail.com or me on 07752
135568. Nicole Olavesen
North Hinksey Annual Parish Meeting 2017
Nineteen people turned up at North Hinksey Parish Council’s (NHPC)
Annual Parish Meeting, on the evening of 16 March in the Seacourt Hall.
Annual Meeting is a summary of the activities of the Council and its
various committees, groups and officials over the past year. It’s also an
opportunity for parishioners to get answers to some current local
issues.Much of the proceedings are succinctly covered in the Council’s
2017 Newsletter. This has already fluttered through your letterboxes,
and should also be available on the Newsletters page of the NHPC
website.
What follows is an interim, unofficial digest of much of what isn’t in the
Newsletter. Draft minutes of the meeting will become available on the
Council’s website in due course.
Policing Report
Police Community Support Officer Jamie Moya-Flood of Thames Valley
Police (TVP) said that arrests had been made in the cases of a rape (by
a non-local) on Harcourt Hill and a number of burglaries in Cumnor and
Dean Court. On the West Way precinct, shoplifting at the Co-op has
been looked into, and a crime prevention advice session held.
Questions from parishioners:
Q: Are pavement-parkers breaking the law? Could I post notices asking
drivers not to do this?
A: If a double child buggy can’t get through the street, let TVP know. You
can leave polite notices on cars.
Q: Builders’ vehicles parked on the corner of Yarnell’s Hill and
Sweetmans Road obstruct drivers’ view. What can be done about this?
A: We have asked developers to be more considerate.
Q: Can the Parish Council’s Recreation and Amenities Committee get
advice on crime-prevention features in the design of upgraded facilities,
for example, on the Louie Memorial Field?
A: We will be available to advise.
New procedure for verbal questions to Councillors
A motion was proposed and carried to allow more time for parishioners
to put verbal questions during the Annual Parish Meeting’s regular Q&A
session with County, District and Parish Councillors. At the chairman’s
discretion or on a vote of parishioners the standard time limit of 20
minutes can be extended by another 10 minutes,
Q&A Session with Councillors
Q: Where are the Parish boundaries?
A: Parish boundary maps are displayed on the Vale of White Horse
website. The next boundary changes are due in 2 years. Suggestions
for change of boundaries can be sent to NHPC.
Q: How might the Parish be affected by the adoption of a Unitary Council
for Oxfordshire?
A: An update on this issue will be coming from the County Council shortly.
County Councillor Janet Godden said the proposals for a Unitary Council
would be with the Secretary of State before the end of March and a public
consultation would start thereafter. If the proposal goes ahead it should
be implemented in the Autumn. She felt that there was more to be gained
than lost from a Unitary council because of inefficiencies resulting from
two-tier local government.
Parish Council Chairman David Kay said such a proposal could, for
example, affect the amount of council tax the Parish would charge, and
might also affect the parish’s planning function.
Q: When will the West Way redevelopment start?
A: David Kay said that Mace was still finalising details. Mace will hold a
Community Liaison Group meeting on 10 April at which more details will
be released. Mace had revised the phasing of the build to accelerate it,
reduce costs, and also reduce uncertainty for local businesses. The
Seacourt Hall will remain available until the end of June
Botley Community Fridge
Riki Therivel announced the successful launch of a three-month trial of
the Botley Community Fridge on 13 March, only the fourth such project
in the entire UK. Sited in the St Peter Paul Church, Fridge’s key aim is
to reduce food waste in the Parish, and secondly to help people in need.
The Fridge is accessible between 9 am – 5 pm Mondays to Saturdays,
and 11 am – 5 pm on Sundays. Access between 9 am – 10 am on
Mondays and Saturdays is reserved for people in need.
Individuals and businesses can add food to the Fridge or take it out.
Tinned food, fruit, vegetables and bread are welcome. Pastries with a
cream filling, raw meat, fish and eggs are excluded. Food sourced from
businesses must obey the same health and safety and environmental
regulations as if sold to consumers. A full set of rules are in a ring binder
on top of the fridge.
David Kay, a member of Oxford Food Bank, said that food given to the
scheme from the Bank would not otherwise go to charities.
A team of volunteers keeps the Fridge clean, monitors its temperature
and makes sure that the food inside is useable. Riki reported that in the
first few days of operation there was good throughput of food, and that
two people in need were taking food. She added that the Sprout had
made a pledge to cover the cost of electricity for the fridge’s first year of
operation. There is further information on the fridge’s own Facebook
page, “Botley Community Fridge.”
Financial Matters
Alan Stone, Parish Clerk, presented the Council’s Audited Final Accounts
for 2016-17.
David Kay said that an increasing number of new households in the
Parish has meant a fall in the Parish precept‘s contribution to individuals’
council tax bills.
Phillips Stevens asked about section 106 funding for play equipment on
Elms Road. Alan Stone explained that when the surgery on the corner
of West Way and Elms Road was redeveloped in 2002-3 the s.106
funding could not be spent because no suitable land was locally available.
This money is still available until the end of the year. The Parish Council
is currently in negotiations for suitable land, but if that can’t be found, the
money will be spent on siting play equipment elsewhere.
The meeting ended at 20:37.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMMUNITY FRIDGE UPDATE
The Botley community fridge has only been open for five days as I write
this, but seems to be working well. It’s a fridge in the Church of St. Peter
and St. Paul (81 West Way) into which anyone can put food, and from
which anyone can take food. Its main aim is to reduce food waste,
so please everyone come and bring/take food from it, but there are
special sessions for people in need when larger quantities of food are
likely to be in the fridge:
Mon-Sat 9am-5pm
Sun 11am-5pm
Priority for people in need Mon & Sat 9-10am
The fridge opened under the eyes of BBC Radio Oxford who put a video
of it on their Facebook page. People have been putting food in and taking
food out of the fridge, judging by the movement of bread, potatoes, tins
of soup etc. The Oxford Food Bank have kindly provided not just their
surplus cauliflower and bread but exotic (but hard to shift to their charities)
items like samphire and pak choi. I hope that you’re all getting interested
in the contents of this fridge? It has its own Facebook page which will
regularly show what is in the fridge: look for and ‘like’ the page for Botley
community fridge.
The fridge is subject to lots of health requirements. Individuals (you!) can
only put in fruit, vegetables, bread, pastries that do not have cream
fillings, and non-perishables like tins and pasta. Registered food
businesses can also put in cooked food and other ‘at risk’ food under
stringent conditions like having to specify what allergens the food
contains. No raw meat/fish, eggs, cooked rice or food past its ‘use by’
date is allowed in the fridge, although food past its ‘best before’ date is
welcome. An excellent team of volunteers clean the fridge daily (we’re
OK for volunteers at the moment, and thank you to all the current
volunteers), and environmental health will have held its first inspection by
the time you read this.
ITV would like to interview people who take food from the fridge (whether
‘in need’ or not). We already have one volunteer, but could use a couple
more. Please contact me at riki@phonecoop.coop or 07759 135811 if
you are willing to be interviewed.
Our fridge has prompted FareShare/Tesco to have a national review of
how they want to treat community fridges, after an initially frustrating
session of “yes you can have our food, no you can’t after all, well
maybe”. Iceland’s national level management team have confirmed that
“Iceland don’t do this kind of thing” despite their stores selling bread, fresh
veg etc. My request to the Coop is also stuck at national management
level. We’re sharing our experiences with other organisations, including
one that is hoping to set up a community fridge in east Oxford.
Thank you very much to the church for hosting the fridge; the Sprout for
funding its start-up; and the Association for Botley Communities for being
willing to adopt the fridge once the ABC is up and running. Please have
a look at https://foodforcharities.wordpress.com/botley to find out
more, and do visit the fridge.
Riki Therivel
Randoms
Up for Grabs
What’s this we hear about the timetable for the West Way Shopping
Centre development, so carefully detailed in the February Sprout? It’s all
been radically revised? It’s not starting till July after all? What’s going
on? Who knows? Not us, unfortunately, and the Mace meeting that’s
going to spell it out to the Botley community won’t be till the beginning of
April. Luckily for us WWCC will be there, to provide a full report which you
can read in the May edition of your favourite local mag.
Collecting for Chordoma Research
Please could you let Sprout readers know that any monies raised from
any sales from my art exhibition in St Peter and Paul’s Church are being
passed to my daughter-in-law Emma Holloway via the JustGiving website
towards Chordoma Research UK? Thanks.
Jenny Holloway
Youth Club says “Ta Very Much”
THANK YOU...very much indeed to Gaynor the duty manager of a local
retail outlet, who without hesitation kindly donated two items from off the
shelf that will help North Hinksey Youth Club tuck shop storage. Your
support is much appreciated.
VOLUNTEERS...needed. As the evenings lighten we expect numbers at
youth club to increase and we would love to see some new faces. We
have a great group at the moment and you will be made very welcome.
A little bit of madness keeps you sane! The club meets every Wednesday
during school terms – 7–9pm (and a bit before and after). Contact Daz –
07791 212866
Ali Hogg
Mum and Baby Yoga
A new class for parents and babies from six weeks old to crawling is being
held at Dean Court Community Centre on Monday's at 10.30. Interested?
Find out more at https://yogawithjacqueline.co.uk.
Jacqueline Rice
Botley Bridges
On Friday 17th March Botley Bridges held its first session at Botley
School from 9.00am until 11.30, in the room previously used by Elms
Road Children's Centre. The sessions are for children up to 5 years old
and there are a range of activities inside and out, finishing with music and
stories. Please come and join us, and pass on the word via your
Facebook friends. Because this is a new organisation and sessions are
not funded by the County Council, we are asking for a voluntary
contribution of £2.
Sue Dowe, temporary co-ordinator
Litter pick
A group of mums, dads, sons, and daughters, managed a littler pick on
Saturday 4th
March in Botley.
We collected
around the streets
on the hill near the
bus stop, through
the underpass and
down to the shops.
Dog mess was
noted by several
of the groups as
being an issue on
the streets and
verges. We were
either completely
ignored or praised by passers-by. Luckily the weather held and we
enjoyed it! We were supported by the OxClean team for kit and the Vale
for collection of over 8 big bags of rubbish and recycling.
Catherine Casley
And a massive pile of rubbish was noticed yet again at the gates of the
Seacourt Nature Reserve, collected by the team of unsung heroes led by
Riki Therivel. It’s become a yearly event and the quantity of rubbish is
simply astonishing! Sadly there was no one to clear the other side of the
road this year, and it’s looking just as dingy and scruffy as ever.
extremely talented guitarist.”
Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details
to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion in future
issues. telephone 724452 for inclusion in future issues.
1st Botley Brownies
Girls aged 7–10
2nd Botley Brownies
Girls aged 7–10
4th Oxford Scout Group
Beavers, Cub Scouts, Scouts
15th Oxford Scout Group
Boys and girls welcome
Badminton Club
Books on Wheels R.V.S.
Botley Baby & Toddler
Group
Botley Boys & Girls F.C.
Football teams from ages 8-16
Botley Health Walks
Botley Library
Botley Singers
Chair-based Exercise Class
Cumnor Choral Society
Cumnor Chess Club
Cumnor & District Historical
Society
Cumnor Gardening Club
Fit Steps – exercise based
on dance
Harmony InSpires, Ladies'
Acappella Singing Group
Hill End Volunteer Team
Let’s Sing! – singing group
Morris Dancing – Cry Havoc
Mum and Baby Yoga for
babies from 6 wks to crawling
N Hinksey after school club
N Hinksey Art Group
N Hinksey Bellringers
N Hinksey Conservation
Volunteers
N Hinksey, Friends of
N Hinksey Horticultural
Society
N Hinksey Parish Council
N Hinksey Youth Club
Over Sixties Lunch Club
Oxford Flood Alliance
Oxford Flower
Arrangement Club
Oxford Otters
Oxford Rugby Club
Oxford Sports Lawn Tennis
Club, N Hinksey
Parkinson’s Disease Soc
Raleigh Park, Friends of
Royal Voluntary Service
(West Way Day Centre)
Saturdads
Elms Rd Children's Centre
Shotokan Karate club
St Andrew's playgroup
Weight Watchers
West Oxford Bowls Club
West Oxford Taekwon Do
Club
West Oxford U3A
Which Craft?
Women’s Institute (Botley)